Silver Lining
by Mana Mihara
Summary: Snippets into Daniel and Betty's lives after the end of the series. Daniel x Betty


**Author's Note**: I hope to make this a series of short little glimpses into Betty and Daniel's life after the end of the series, mostly while they're in London. I don't plan on connecting them into a long, continuous story. Hope you guys enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Ugly Betty.

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**Silver Lining**

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She was soft and fragrant and her hair was tickling his nose. Daniel sighed sleepily and slipped his hand down to Betty's hip, pulling her back more firmly against his chest. His fingers picked at the hem of her large t-shirt, and he opened his eyes with a frown. She must have gotten up in the middle of the night to put it on, because he knew for a fact she hadn't been wearing a stitch when she had fallen asleep.

He couldn't see her face with her back turned to him, but he knew she was a fairly deep sleeper, so with a slight smile he plucked at the hem of the t-shirt. He slowly pulled it up, baring the skin of her upper thigh and then her hip. She always got chilled so quickly, and as he felt the goosebumps rise on her skin, he slipped his hand underneath the shirt instead of pulling more of it off her body.

His fingers slid over her stomach, and he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to the back of her neck. She made a small breathy noise, but remained still.

He loved mornings like this, where there was nothing pressing them to get up - nothing to interrupt a sleepy, relaxing cuddle. They were both usually so busy, and it was refreshing to be able to just hold her against him.

It was unusual for him to wake before her, and Daniel could tell by the muted, soft yellow light streaming through the curtains that it was still very early in the morning. They hadn't come back to her flat until late the night before, and it surprised him a little that his brain was even able to function coherently after so little sleep. Lazy desire curled in his chest as he thought of what had occurred when they'd returned from their evening. Said desire made him want to wake her and do naughty, naughty things.

Daniel grinned against her neck and pressed another kiss to her skin. His fingers on her stomach ghosted a little higher and he felt her shiver involuntarily.

Betty was perfect. The moment was perfect. He shifted and pressed his hips against her.

Hmm…perfect, eh?

He'd been waiting for just the right moment for a couple months now. Every time that he tried to follow through with his grand, romance-filled plan, something happened to derail him - a tipped glass at dinner resulting in soaked trousers, a thunderstorm that canceled a date, long work nights resulting in exhaustion, conflicting schedules, and so much more that he'd been growing increasingly frustrated.

There was something about this particular morning, so quiet, reserved and intimate, that made Daniel lean back away from Betty and slip from the bed. She uttered a small groan at the sudden lack of heat at her back and buried her head further into her pillow. Daniel shuffled across the hardwood floor, snagged his boxers from underneath Betty's crumpled dress and slipped them on. He usually wasn't self-conscious about walking around the flat without a stitch on, but what he was about to do made him feel as if boxers would be a good idea. They inspired courage for what he was about to do, as silly as it seemed.

He found his briefcase in the hall next to the front door, and opened it quickly. He shuffled through some disorganized papers with a frown until finally finding what he'd been looking for. Daniel had taken to the habit of just carrying it around in his jacket or pants, but he'd learned over the course of their relationship that Betty tended to get real feely in the aftermath of their dates and the item wasn't something he really wanted her to stumble upon. He needed to be prepared. He had a speech.

With a smile, he clutched the small black box in his hand and headed back to the bedroom.

Betty had moved in his absence. She'd flipped to her other side, facing him now as he moved back into the bed, and she'd pulled the comforter up around her shoulders. Daniel took her into his arms, pulling her against his chest and slipping his leg between hers. She hitched one of her legs up in response, her knee rubbing against his hip as her fingers slid over the taunt skin of his abdomen.

That's when he realized, she no longer had her shirt on.

Betty slowly lifted her head and stared at Daniel, a smile spreading over her lips as she looked at the surprise on his face.

"Morning," she said quietly.

Distracted by the contact of skin against skin and the way she was suddenly shifting her bare body against his, Daniel didn't even reply verbally. He reached down, brushed her mussed hair from her eyes and kissed her with all the passion that had been slowly building within him this morning.

She tasted tart and familiar, and as Daniel's hands slid down from her face to her back, he got swept away by her kiss. He pressed her back against the pillows, keeping his leg between hers and raising himself up slightly on his elbows, though keeping contact with her skin at all times. She whimpered into his mouth as his hands started to do some questing of their own.

Daniel forgot about the little black box and the reason behind it, and lost himself in Betty. He loved the little noises she made, and the way her body responded and melted against his. Morning romps with her were his favorite, because she was always flushed pink, sleepy and content. Today was no exception. His Betty was definitely a morning person.

Her fingers slid underneath the elastic band of his boxers, and he grinned against her lips as she pushed at them impatiently. Once free, Betty shifted and raised her legs up on either side of him, running her toes along his calf. Daniel let all sensations take over and he lost himself in the feel, scent and taste of her. Betty arched up against him, and it was awhile before he was able to think straight, his mind muddled by their shared pleasure.

It was only afterwards when her eyelids were half-closed with lazy satisfaction, her lips swollen from his kisses and body languid that he remembered the box.

It was as if someone whacked him in the head with a baseball bat. His eyes flew open, and he darted underneath the comforter. He ran his hands down Betty's sides, under the pillow she rested on and across the mattress, but to no avail.

"Damn. Just my luck," he muttered to himself and he continued to shuffle across the mattress.

"Daniel?"

He felt like a moron as he lifted up her leg and looked underneath.

"Daniel, what are you doing?"

He couldn't explain. The moment was ruined, like usual, and he'd even managed to lose the most important piece of the puzzle.

Betty slipped her hands on either side of Daniel's head and lifted it. "What are you doing?" she repeated.

He sighed and slumped down a little, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "Nothing."

There was a beat of silence before Betty replied, "You seem upset about something."

"No. It's nothing," he returned, lifting his head to look at her.

Her hair was a messy black halo spread over the surface of the pillow, and she had a quizzical smile on her lips.

As he looked at her now, it was hard to imagine a time when he thought her unattractive. While she had physical beauty, and he thought she was utterly adorable, it was what he recognized within her that made her the woman he loved. And he loved her more than he thought imaginable.

Screw it. Screw the ring. Screw the fancy speech. Screw tradition.

This was the right moment, and he was going to take advantage of it.

Daniel tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and with a slow smile said, "Marry me, Betty."

He loved that she didn't look surprised - that the smile on her lips slowly spread until she was grinning madly at him, her eyes filled with warmth and happiness. And love. He could drown in her eyes. She was his best friend, the love of his life, and the woman he wanted to be with till the end of his days. His Betty.

Her lips parted and she replied, "Yes."


End file.
